, on
Philadelphia's
Benjamin Franklin Parkway. In the
United States, such drives are often undertaken by a
political campaign,
political party, or other outside groups (partisan and non-partisan), that seeks to register persons who are eligible to vote but are not registered. In all U.S. states except
North Dakota, registration is a prerequisite to a person being able to vote at federal, state or local elections, as well as to serve on juries and perform other civil duties. Sometimes these drives are undertaken for partisan purposes, and target specific
demographic groups considered to be likely to vote for one candidate or other; on the other hand, such drives are sometimes undertaken by non-partisan groups and targeted more generally.
Controversies In 2004, the Nu Mu Lambda chapter of
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity held a voter registration drive in
DeKalb County, Georgia, from which
Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox (Dem.) rejected all 63 voter registration applications on the basis that the fraternity did not follow correct procedures, including obtaining specific pre-clearance from the state to conduct their drive. Nu Mu Lambda filed
Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation v. Cathy Cox (
Wesley v. Cox) on the basis that Georgia's long-standing policy and practice of rejecting mail-in voter registration applications that were submitted in bundles, by persons other than registrars, deputy registrars, or "authorized persons", violated the requirements of the
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by undermining voter registration drives. A senior
U.S. District Judge upheld earlier federal court decisions in the case, which also found private entities have a right, under the federal law, to engage in organized voter registration activity in Georgia at times and locations of their choosing, without the presence or permission of state or local election officials. In 2019,
Tennessee lawmakers contemplated passing legislation to make it more difficult to carry out voter registration drives by limiting the time frame in which collected registrations had to be filed and requiring organizers to provide information about the drive to county officials in advance, with criminal penalties for violations of these provisions.
Organizations Notable national organizations that regularly work to register voters and promote citizens' engagement in elections include: •
Advancement Project •
Close Up Foundation •
Democrats Abroad •
HeadCount •
League of Women Voters •
Let America Vote •
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People • Nonprofit VOTE •
Our Time •
Rock the Vote •
Southern Regional Council •
Southwest Voter Registration Education Project •
Student Association for Voter Empowerment •
The Voter Participation Center •
U.S. Vote Foundation •
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce •
Vote.org •
Voto Latino ==References==